The Future of PMRs: Towards a European PMR Network 21 Costas KADIS 1, Costas A. THANOS 2 and Emilio LAGUNA 3 1 Frederick University, 7, Y. Frederickou str., Pallouriotissa, 1036 Nicosia, Cyprus 2 Department of Botany, Faculty of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Athens 15784, Greece 3 Generalitat Valenciana, Servicio de Vida Silvestre, c/francesc Cubells, 11. E-46011 Valencia, Spain The chapters of this book illustrate efficiently and support competently the declaration that the Plant Micro-Reserve (PMR) approach has been proven, over the last 20 years, a successful method for the conservation of endemic, rare and threatened plants, in several European countries. The European Commission has acknowledged and in fact promoted the PMR approach as a valuable tool towards plant diversity conservation in Europe (European Commission, 2007). This adoption conforms well to the guidelines of the European Strategy of Plant Conservation (Smart et al., 2002), also endorsed by the World Conservation Congress held in Amman (IUCN, 2000), in order to use the PMRs as a good practice for the in situ conservation of wild plants in Europe. Recently, the PMR concept has been proposed to additionally serve as a model for the creation of natural Botanical Gardens (Thanos, 2012). EuroGard VI Conference in its resolutions (2012) urged Botanic Gardens to stay involved with conservation actions like Plant Micro-reserves and other in situ or inter situ projects. The idea of exchanging knowledge and experiences gained from different PMR projects was discussed in two international PMR Experts Workshops, which took place in Crete (2005) and Nicosia (2011). The first PMR workshop was organised by the project CRETAPLANT, in November 24-25, 2005, at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Chania (Crete, Greece). It was entitled The role of micro-reserves for plant conservation in Mediterranean Europe. The case of the pilot network of micro-reserves in Crete. Experts from 7 European countries (Greece, Cyprus, Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Germany) participated in the workshop (Fig. 21.1), presented PMR and plant conservation related projects in their countries and contributed considerably to an extended discussion on the establishment of the Cretan PMR network. Within the framework of the PLANT-NET CY project, an Experts Workshop on Plant Micro-Reserves was held in Nicosia, in April 2011 (Fig. 21.2). This workshop aimed at establishing close cooperation between plant conservation experts and other stakeholders involved in the PMR approach, towards the effective conservation of threatened plants in Europe. One of the main objectives of chapter Conclusions.indd 179 18/6/2013 1:14:06 πμ
PART 6 180 CONCLUSIONS Figure 21.1 Snapshot from the Experts Workshop on PMRs, held in Chania, in November 2005. Figure 21.2 Snapshot from the Experts Workshop on PMRs, held in Nicosia, in April 2011. the workshop was to provide a networking platform for all previous or concurrent, relevant LIFE projects, with a focus on the establishment of PMRs in Europe. The workshop hosted scientists from Spain (Valencia and Menorca), Greece, Slovenia, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus, who presented PMR projects or other plant conservation initiatives implemented in their respective countries. The participants shared their knowledge and experience, accumulated over the last 15 years from projects that have successfully adopted the PMR approach. Moreover, the workshop provided an opportunity for scientists from new EU member states that have not yet adopted the PMR approach, to get familiarized chapter Conclusions.indd 180 18/6/2013 1:14:06 πμ
CHAPTER 21 The Future of PMRs: Towards a European PMR Network 181 with this concept, thus promoting the establishment of similar networks in their countries. An important section of this workshop was the discussion on the possibility of creating a European PMR network for the conservation of European wild plants. The network could link all PMR initiatives, which have been developed in Europe, thus facilitating the systematic exchange of knowledge and experiences resulting from PMR initiatives. Setting up a network of European PMRs could involve: a. organizing regular meetings of PMR experts (e.g. every 2-3 years), b. publishing newsletters with important developments of PMR projects, c. developing a common website focusing on European PMRs, d. creating pages on social networking services webpages, e. creating a European PMR Committee consisting of representatives from each country/region, and f. establishing communication channels with the European Commission and other international organisation (e.g. IUCN) on new plant diversity conservation initiatives. Such a network could substantially contribute towards (i) exchanging knowhow and best practices between the established PMR networks, (ii) facilitating the establishment of new PMR networks in other EU countries, (iii) securing the sustainability of all LIFE and other related projects on PMRs (after their completion) and (iv) promoting the conservation of plant diversity in the European Union through a sound, tested and successful multidisciplinary approach. References EuroGard VI, 2012. Congress Conclusions. Sixth European Gardens Congress. European Botanic Gardens in a Changing World, May 28 - June 2, 2012. Chios Island, Greece. European Commission, 2007. Plant micro-reserves: from concept to implementation. In: LIFE and endangered plants: Conserving Europe s threatened flora. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, pp. 17-19. Luxembourg. IUCN, 2000. Resolution 2.68. Conservation of plants in Europe. Resolutions of the World Conservation Congress 2000, IUCN. Jordan: Amman. http://www.iucn.org/amman/content/resolutions/res68.pdf Smart, J., Imboden, Ch., Harper, M. & Radford, E. (eds.), 2002. Saving the Plants of Europe. European Plant Conservation Strategy. Planta Europa, Council of Europe & Plantlife International. United Kingdom: London. Thanos, C.A., 2012. Natural Botanic Gardens Conserving Plant Diversity In Situ. The Evolution of the Plant Micro Reserve Concept. Book of Abstracts, p. 32, EUROGARD VI Sixth European Gardens Congress. European Botanic Gardens in a Changing World, May 28 - June 2, 2012. Chios Island, Greece. chapter Conclusions.indd 181 18/6/2013 1:14:07 πμ
Costas Kadis, Costas A. Thanos & Emilio Laguna Lumbreras (eds) PLANT MICRO-RESERVES: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE Experiences gained from EU LIFE and other related projects This book has been published within the framework of the project LIFE08 NAT/Y/000453, which was co-funded by the European Commission under the LIFE+ programme. chapter 00.indd 3 17/6/2013 7:41:30 μμ
PLANT MICRO-RESERVES: FROM THEORY TO PRACTICE Experiences gained from EU LIFE and other related projects Utopia Publishing, Athens 2013 This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilm or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the Greek Copyright Law, 2121/1993, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtained from Utopia. Violations are liable to prosecution under the Greek Copyright Law. The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. ISBN: 978-618-80647-2-0 ISBN 978-618-80647-2-0 9 786188 064720 Cover and Text Designer: Ioanna Dimopoulou Project Editor: Athena Parnassas Production Coordinator: Haris Kiriakopoulos Utopia Εκδόσεις ΕΠΕ 42 Argolidos Str, 115 23 Athens Tηλ.: ++30 210 6997706 e-mail: utopiapublishing@gmail.com www.utopiapublishing.gr chapter 00.indd 4 17/6/2013 7:41:33 μμ